People group profile · PG041676
The Gadaba of India
The Gadaba of India, numbering about 179,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh whose name derives from the Godavari river or the Oriya word for brook, traditionally practicing shifting cultivation and collecting forest produce for sale.
They are an indigenous people in the Munda-Santal people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism, and they primarily speak Bondo.

Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 179,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Munda-Santal
- Primary language
- Bondo (bfw)
- Primary religion
- Folk Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Expanding Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Odisha: Koraput, Ganjam, Kalahandi, and Sundargarh districts; also Andhra Pradesh: Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts; Chhattisgarh: Bastar district
Where they live
Gospel status
The Gadaba are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Gadaba
- Continue prayer and fasting for this group
- Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
- Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people
Primary religion
Folk Hinduism · Hinduism
100% adherents
Primary language
Bondo · Austroasiatic family
100% speak Bondo
Gospel resources in Bondo
- Bible available, published 2010
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Gadaba
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
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